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Jeff Borzello
There are currently 19 five-stars atop the SC Next 100 player rankings for the men’s college basketball class of 2026. Eight are off the board, with Texas getting No. 19 Austin Goosby during the early signing window.
Just two days remain in November’s period (Nov. 12-19); will we see more movement in this span?
We’re continuing to track every top commitment announcement as it happens, and breaking down the fit and more, right here.
Players are ordered by rank below. Jump to the latest commitment here.
Last updated: Nov. 17, 2025
See the full 2026 ESPN 100 player rankings here
Duke Blue Devils
Commitment date: Nov. 14, 2025
Cameron Boozer at the power forward position next season. Much like Boozer is a completely different prospect than Cooper Flagg, Williams will not be a do-everything, high-usage producer like Boozer. Williams is more of a two-way contributor who should be a consistent scorer and shotmaker as a freshman.
Where does Arizona turn? Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats finally got on the board in the 2026 class last weekend, when No. 34-ranked Cameron Holmes committed to the Wildcats. They felt good about Holmes and Williams for long stretches during the summer, but Duke landing Williams does throw a wrench in their 2026 plans. The highest-touted prospect on their board is Caleb Holt (No. 6), although that’s likely an uphill battle with the likes of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and others involved.
Missouri Tigers
Commitment date: July 18, 2025
Background: Crowe didn’t wait until the end of the July live period to make his commitment, setting a date for mid-July in advance. He also never announced an official school list. For much of his recruitment, though, Kentucky and USC were considered the primary contenders: Crowe’s father played with Kentucky assistant Jason Hart and the two remain friends, and the Trojans made him a priority throughout the process. But over the final few weeks, Missouri emerged as the favorite and was able to land the top-five scorer.
How he fits: Crowe is one of the elite scorers in high school basketball, averaging better than 23 points per game on the Nike EYBL circuit. He’s explosive with the ball in his hands and is an adept playmaker who can get others involved. At Missouri, Crowe will likely become the team’s best offensive player early, although point guard Anthony Robinson and UCLA transfer Sebastian Mack could return to Columbia in 2026-27 and take the pressure off Crowe. It’s also worth noting that Dennis Gates & Co. have made some real headway with fellow five-star Toni Bryant (No. 13).
What’s next for Kentucky and USC? Crowe would have been the ideal start of the 2026-27 roster for either Kentucky or USC, but both programs have talented prospects remaining at the top of their boards. The Wildcats are in pursuit of No. 1 prospect Tyran Stokes, No. 5 Caleb Holt, and five-star point guards Taylen Kinney (No. 17) and Deron Rippey Jr. (No. 18), among others. USC is eyeing Christian Collins (No. 2), Brandon McCoy (No. 6) and Tajh Ariza (No. 20) at the top.
2026 SC Next 100 ranking: 12
Committed to: Arkansas Razorbacks
Commitment date: May 15, 2025
Background: While highly ranked prospects from the state of Arkansas have typically stayed home for college — ironically, Malik Monk choosing John Calipari’s Kentucky over Arkansas was one of the high-profile exceptions — the Razorbacks had to do some work to land Andrews. He had LSU and Missouri among his final three, with Dennis Gates’ Tigers appearing to be in a strong position down the stretch. But Calipari has proved he still has juice with five-stars.
JJ Andrews is a BEAST 🔥 24 points and 10 boards for the Arkansas commit as Brad Beal Elite beats Oakland Soldiers 94-78 @NikeEYB pic.twitter.com/HF6yxctCer
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) July 17, 2025
How he fits: The No. 1 player in the state of Arkansas, Andrews has been on the radar of top programs for multiple years. He has tremendous physical tools and is aggressive going to the basket on the offensive end. Although he’s not a prolific perimeter shooter, he did shoot 40% from 3-point range during the EYBL regular season with just about one make per game. It’s always unclear who will return to a Calipari-coached roster, but Andrews should have an early role when he arrives in fall 2026. Unsurprisingly, the Razorbacks are in pursuit of a slew of other five-stars in 2026.
2026 SC Next 100 ranking: 13
Committed to: Ohio State Buckeyes
Commitment date: Oct. 21, 2025
Background: Thompson has been the subject of a fierce Big Ten — and national — recruiting battle for a long time. He broke out as a sophomore in high school, with offers from several regional high-major programs already in tow. As things progressed this past summer, three schools emerged for his commitment: Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan.
When Michigan landed a commitment from No. 54 Quinn Costello last month, however, the Wolverines faded from contention and it became an incredibly tight race between the Hoosiers and Buckeyes. In the end, Jake Diebler was able to keep the Lebanon, Ohio, native home and land the first true statement recruit of his tenure. Thompson also gives Ohio State its highest-ranked recruit since No. 13 D’Angelo Russell in 2014. He joins four-star point guard Marcus Johnson (No. 28) and four-star forward Alex Smith, both also from the state of Ohio, for the Buckeyes’ 2026-27 roster.
How he fits: Given his 6-9 size, 7-4 wingspan and shooting ability, Thompson’s ceiling is incredibly high. He was one of the most impressive players during the July live period, scoring 30-plus points on five separate occasions and shooting nearly 40% from behind the arc during the spring and summer on the adidas 3ssb boys’ circuit. He should start immediately upon arriving in Columbus next season, especially since the Buckeyes will have four seniors — including up to three starters — in their rotation. If Devin Royal returns, he and Thompson could form a versatile forward tandem causing matchup nightmares for opponents.
How big of a miss is this for Indiana? Darian DeVries and the Hoosiers were in this one until the very end, and there were stretches in the fall where it looked as if Indiana was in front for Thompson. From that perspective, it’s a difficult defeat. There aren’t a ton of obvious places to turn to for wings, although Indiana recently hosted SC Next 100 wing Vaughn Karvala (No. 30) for a visit. The Hoosiers are also in the mix for two of the top three centers in the 2026 class, Arafan Diane (No. 21) and Ethan Taylor (No. 32). Four-star guard Prince-Alexander Moody is already committed.
Missouri Tigers
Commitment date: Sept. 8, 2025
Background: A 6-foot-9 power forward from Zephyrhills Christian Academy in Florida, Bryant is the No. 4 power forward in the 2026 class, averaging 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds on the Puma Pro16 circuit this past spring and summer.
As we mentioned when Jason Crowe committed, Missouri was long considered a top contender for Bryant. Dennis Gates and the Tigers were among the first high-major schools to show heavy interest in Bryant, extending a scholarship offer in May 2024 — well before he emerged as one of the top frontcourt players in the 2026 class. A number of other programs jumped into the mix over the past 16 months, including blue bloods Kansas (March) and North Carolina (earlier this month). But Missouri brought him on campus this past weekend for the Tigers’ football game against the rival Jayhawks, and Bryant ended his recruitment less than 48 hours later.
How he fits: Bryant is the second five-star recruit in Missouri’s 2026 group, joining Crowe in what is now the only class in the country with multiple five-star prospects. Bryant’s stock has risen considerably over the past year, with his athleticism and two-way potential making an impression. He’s active in transition and on the offensive glass and is showing signs of being able to knock down shots from the perimeter.
He won’t have to shoulder a huge offensive load right away as a freshman in Columbia, particularly with high-usage point guard Crowe running the show. But expect Crowe to get Bryant involved on lobs and in fast-break settings. Bryant should be able to make an impact on the defensive end, given Missouri’s aggressive style at that end of the floor.
Miami Hurricanes
Commitment date: Oct. 30, 2025
Background: Gaskins has been on high-major radars since he entered high school, earning power-conference offers as early as the spring of his sophomore year. The Melbourne, Florida, native, who attends Christopher Columbus in Miami, emerged as a priority recruit for the Hurricanes shortly after Jai Lucas took over in Coral Gables in the spring. The Hurricanes positioned themselves strongly, and ultimately beat out a pair of SEC programs in Texas A&M and Florida — both of which Gaskins visited in recent weeks.
Gaskins is a key commitment for Lucas, his first five-star recruit as the head coach of Miami. This commitment is also a sign that Lucas has made it a priority to keep the state’s best players home for college.
How he fits: Gaskins gives Lucas a strong frontcourt anchor moving forward, as well as a marquee name around which to build his 2026 recruiting class. The 6-8 power forward has the physical tools to make an impact at both ends of the floor, especially on the backboards. He’s more effective inside the arc but is expanding his face-up game to become more of a perimeter threat. He was at his best at the high-profile Nike Peach Jam in July, averaging 20.0 points and 10.2 rebounds in five games.
Kansas Jayhawks
Commitment date: Sept. 28, 2025
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Background: Kinney has been one of the top-ranked point guards in the 2026 class for most of the past two years, earning high-major offers and interest as far back as 2023. He was long considered a Louisville lean — the program had extended a scholarship offer under then-coach Kenny Payne. Kentucky and Indiana were also involved since early in his recruitment, and he took trips to both campuses as a high school junior. But it was a late August visit to Kansas that seemed to turn the tide for the Kentucky native. The momentum flipped from Louisville to the Jayhawks, who held off the rest of Kinney’s finalists down the stretch.
How he fits: Kinney should slot seamlessly into the point guard spot that should be vacated by 2025 No. 2 recruit Darryn Peterson, who has a chance to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft. Like Peterson, Kinney is more scorer than distributor, but he’s continuing to progress as a playmaker; his gravity as a scorer and his ability to get into the lane off the dribble help create open looks for his teammates, too. The Jayhawks are still in pursuit of top-50 prospects Davion Adkins and Ethan Taylor, both frontcourt players, but there has been positive buzz about incoming freshman Kohl Rosario, who could be Kinney’s backcourt mate next season.
Louisville just missed out on Kinney. Where do the Cardinals go from here? With Mikel Brown Jr. expected to be a one-and-done lottery pick at the point guard position, coach Pat Kelsey still needs a replacement to run the show for 2026-27. The Cardinals are still in the mix for Deron Rippey Jr., a five-star point guard and one of Kinney’s positional rivals this past summer on the Adidas circuit. If Rippey goes elsewhere — which seems to be the likely result as of now — Kelsey might have to wait for the transfer portal to find his point guard.
2026 SC Next 100 ranking: 19
Committed to: Texas Longhorns
Commitment date: Nov. 17, 2025
Background: Goosby has been a priority in-state recruit for Texas schools for more than two years, earning high-major offers as early as the summer after his freshman year of high school. The Longhorns began recruiting Goosby — whose brother is an offensive lineman on the football team — under Rodney Terry. The five-star guard was one of Miller’s first calls after he took over, and the Longhorns maintained a steady pursuit the whole way through. Over the last few weeks, it appeared like a Texas-BYU battle for Goosby, but the homestate Longhorns won this battle.
How he fits: Miller has done a terrific job building out his future perimeter group in this 2026 class. Along with Goosby, the Longhorns will be bringing in SC Next 100 wings Bo Ogden and Joe Sterling, two of the premier shooters in the country. Goosby isn’t the shooter those two are, but he’s a more versatile offensive player and can get his points in a variety of ways. Starting guards Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope, as well as sixth man Chendall Weaver, are all seniors, so there should be plenty of perimeter minutes to go around next season in Austin.
